Costco alters plans for new store

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 25, 2008

Developers of the new store -- to be located near the intersection of Federal Road and Route 133 -- first submitted plans in December but withdraw them a month later, citing the need for revisions.

The new plans show additional water detention ponds and relocate an existing soccer field behind the proposed 158,000-square-foot building. The original proposals called for the field to be near the Still River.

"Essentially, they moved the development farther away from the Still River," said Lawrence Miller, chairman of the commission. "An area that had been reserved for future development is now being used for parking."

Miller discussed the proposal with developers during a pre-application meeting last week.

"The detention ponds would essentially serve as biological treatment centers that would improve the water quality before it's discharged into the Still River," he said.

Miller said moving the soccer field behind the proposed building would eliminate the need to clear-cut a forest area next to the river. Corridors of trees and vegetation help to maintain the quality of a water body, he said.